میان یابی

Drought stress is one of the major environmental stresses affecting more than 60% of Iran's area. The use of drought resistant plants, especially Almonds (Amygdalus communis L.)  that grow in hilly areas with calcareous and stony soils, is of great importance. Iran is recognized as the fifth largest almond producer in the world. Almond cultivation not only has high nutritional value but can also contribute to ecosystem improvement, increase farmers' income, and create job opportunities. Fars province is one of the suitable regions for almond cultivation, ranking first in terms of under cultivation of dry almonds and sixth in terms of under cultivation of irrigated almonds. However, almond performance in this province is not satisfactory and is positioned lower. It appears that the province has not fully utilized its potential, and almond cultivation in many suitable lands has been neglected. Therefore, this study focuses on analyzing land suitability for almond cultivation in Fars province by integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and fuzzy algorithm with Geographic Information System (GIS).

In order to estimate the extent of suitable areas for dry almond cultivation in Fars province, four criteria (including climatic, topographic, environmental adaptation, and socio-economic) and 14 sub-criteria were used. These sub-criteria include elevation, land slope, slope aspects, land use, soil texture, seedling growth temperature, minimum temperature during flowering stage, relative humidity flowering stage, growth cycle temperature, fruit formation and ripening stage temperature, mean annual precipitation, distance from the road, distance from water levels and distance from population centers. The weights of criteria and sub-criteria in the study were calculated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) process and Expert Choice software. After fuzzy mapping and combining fuzzy scores with the weights obtained from the AHP analysis, the Fuzzy overlay algorithm was used to overlay different thematic layers (climatic, topographic, socio-economic, environmental adaptation). Finally, the map estimating the extent of suitable areas for almond cultivation was classified into five classes.

In this research, suitable areas for almond cultivation have been identified using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS. These areas were selected based on 14 different sub-criteria. The findings identified mean annual precipitation as the most critical sub-criterion for almond tree cultivation, followed by elevation, mean seedling growth temperature, and relative humidity during the flowering stage. After fuzzifying the maps and combining the fuzzy scores with the assigned weights, thematic maps were generated for each criterion. Analysis of these maps revealed that the most limiting factors for almond cultivation in Fars Province are climatic conditions (including precipitation, mean minimum temperature during the flowering stage, and temperatures during the fruit formation and ripening stages) and topography (slope percentage and elevation). Despite these limitations, the study found that Fars Province has significant potential for dry almond cultivation. Specifically, the study determined that highly suitable, suitable, and moderately suitable lands for almond cultivation account for 9.02%, 16.46%, and 21.63% of the province's area, respectively. The highly suitable zones, covering approximately 9.02% of the province, are particularly favorable for almond cultivation. Additionally, suitable and moderately suitable zones make up 16.46% and 21.63% of the region's area, respectively, further supporting the potential for almond farming in the province. However, the suitability of about 17.09% of the region for almond cultivation is low, and 5.01% of the province area is unsuitable for almond cultivation. Additionally, around 30.79% of the total province area is not recommended for almond cultivation due to land use types. In general, the northwestern, western, and southwestern areas of Fars province have suitable capability, and the southeastern region of Fars province has unsuitable capability for dry almond tree cultivation. Based on the analysis and results obtained, the importance of proper planning for agricultural crop cultivation and appropriate land suitability analysis for optimal land resource utilization for sustainable agricultural development is evident.

Based on the findings, Fars province holds significant potential for dry almond cultivation development, yet it has not fully utilized all of its capabilities to date. Consequently, it is recommended that the expansion of almond tree cultivation in this province be prioritized. Proper planning and optimal utilization of suitable areas in Fars province, considering environmental conditions and defined criteria, will enhance the performance of almond cultivation and facilitate sustainable agricultural development in this region. The results of this study can be valuable to all individuals and organizations active in the field of agricultural development and land resource management (including farmers and horticulturists in Fars province, officials and policymakers related to agriculture and rural development, researchers, and academics in geology, agriculture, and sustainable natural resource development in Fars province) and assist them in decision making regarding almond cultivation development.

Most of the water needs in arid and semi-arid regions is supplied through groundwater, so it is important to study the quantitative and qualitative changes of these waters and the factors affecting them. Land use changes can cause changes in groundwater quality. Here, land use changes in the period 2003 to 2020 in Damghan watershed were studied using Landsat 8, 7 and 5 satellite images, eCognition software and GIS. 1760 wells data in Semnan province were used for intermediation and accurate preparation of groundwater quality maps and extraction of geostatistical maps. Also, the information of 58 deep wells inside the watershed was used to analyze and study the groundwater quality changes. The results showed that the area of rangelands, forests and agricultural lands decreased and the area of gardens, urban areas, barren lands and surface water resources (due to the construction of the dam) increased. During this period, groundwater quality changes included Cl increased by 1.01 mEq, SO₄-2, decreased by 0.34 mEq, HCO3- increased by 0.46 mEq, Mg increased by 0.32 mEq, Ca decreased by 2.25 mEq, Na increased 3.58 mEq, electrical conductivity increased  by 44.81 μmohs / cm, Total dissolved solids increased by103.88 mg / l and pH increased by 0.09. These changes were evaluated with R software and the results showed that changes in groundwater quality are related to land use changes.

Optimal design of groundwater monitoring network that is capable of providing accurate and informative data is crucial to improve our understanding of complex groundwater systems. In this study, a geostatistical method to optimize a groundwater quality monitoring network in Shamil-Takht plain, Hormozgan province were used. This study uses the spatial variance of collected data from the field to identify areas that are not covered and lack information. The kriging variance and the vulnerability maps were combined and the final map was used to design the optimum network. Selection of the best-fitted model was based on the values of the RMSE. This approach has been used to assess the electrical conductivity (EC)-as the representative of the most important quality parameters- monitoring network. The results show that 23 wells can be removed from the primary sampling network with 44 wells. On the other hand, 15 wells have been added to cover areas without information. As a result, the number of wells in low density areas has increased. Based on contaminant sources available in the plain, six new sites have been proposed to monitor the potential contamination from cemeteries, health centers, food and livestock industries.

This study was conducted to identify suitable sites for planting Avicennia marina in Soltani Khore of the urban coast of Bushehr. The most effective criteria for Avicennia marina planting include land characteristics (i.e. land use, slope, elevation, soil electrical conductivity, soil texture, and soil type), seawater (i.e. tidal range, wave, acidity, electrical conductivity, and salinity), and climate (i.e. temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, absolute minimum and maximum temperatures) were considered. Ten soil and water samples were collected, using a systematic-random sampling network and their physicochemical variables were measured. The thematic maps of the criteria were prepared and the geographic information system was used to analyse and present spatial data. Using expert opinions and literature review, the priority of the criteria was determined by Delphi method and the criteria were weighted by the Best-Worst method (BWM). Based on the overlay of weighting criteria, using Weighted Linear Combination (WLC), suitable sites for planting and development of Avicennia marina were classified as suitable, relatively suitable and not suitable. The results showed that 24% (18.25 ha) of the total areas were suitable, 24.3% (18.5 ha) of the land was relatively suitable, and 51.8% (39.4 ha) was not suitable for planting and development of Avicennia marina species.

Introduction:

Climate change and global warming are the most important challenges in sustainable development, which is due to increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a major component of greenhouse gases. In order to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide and to create a balance in the content of greenhouse gases, atmospheric carbon must be absorbed in organic forms (Dieleman et al., 2015; Lichtfouse, 2009). For this aim, a study was done in agricultural lands of Gorgan in order to estimate the carbon sequestration potential of soybean plant (Glycine max L.).

This research was carried out in 150 soybean fields of Gorgan township and sampled by quadrate 0.5Í0.5 m2 as random method, during 2016-2017. The soybean shoot and root organs were individually harvested and transferred to the laboratory. An electric burn furnace method was used to determine the carbon sequestration potential in soybean organs (including pods, seeds, stems, leaves and roots). Also, the amount of shoot to root and harvest index were estimated to determine the net primary production based on carbon content in the above ground organ, below ground organ and total plant, and the carbon allocation coefficients in each soybean organ. Then, using different interpolation methods, the spatial distribution of carbon sequestration of the plant organs was investigated in ArcGIS software. All data were analyzed by SPSS software.

The results showed that Kriging method was the best model for carbon interpolation and distribution of carbon sequestration potential in agricultural lands of Gorgan township. The amount of stored carbon was obtained as 579.64 kg.ha-1 in leaves, 744.81 kg.ha-1 in stem, 881.16 kg.ha-1 in seeds, 340.16 kg.ha-1 in pods and 540.21 kg.ha-1 in root. Also, according to harvest index (32%) and grain yield (3461.13 kg.ha-1), other indexes were calculates as the ratio of shoot to root about 4.30, the total net primary carbon production 6734.8 kg.ha-1, above-ground net primary carbon production 4867.2 kg.ha-1 and below-ground net primary carbon production about 1867.63 kg.ha-1. Also, the shares of the allocation coefficients of economic organs, stems, leaves, root and root secretions were 0.23, 0.49, 0.61 and 0.12, respectively. The zoning results showed that the total stored carbon potential in soybean plant was highest in the eastern, north and southeastern regions of the surveyed area, and the central, western and southwestern parts of this township had the lowest stored carbon potential. Also, the amount of carbon sequestration potential (total above ground and below ground organs) was as 3085.98 kg.ha-1 in this study.

 The highest proportion of carbon was allocated to the shoot organs, and the carbon of root exudates was also lower than other plant organs. In this study, it has been found that the potential of carbon sequestration was different in soybean plant organs and some variable such as agronomical management, soil and climatic condition can affect on its contents.AcknowledgementsWe are thankful to Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (GUASNR), Agriculture Services Centers of Gorgan and soybean farmers for all their companions and supports.

Today, due to industrial advances and the expansion of urban environments, it is essential to create ecoparks as places that can provide natural environments for human. The current study performed a comparative ecopark site selection across Ardabil, Meshkinshahr, Sarein, Nir and Namin, using multi-criteria analysis models. To achieve the research objective, four criteria and 15 sub-criteria were identified, as effective factors on ecopark site selection in the region. The analytic network process (ANP) was used to weigh the factors and ordered weighted average (OWA) was employed, as a multi-criteria decision making method, to analyse the final model. Results of the weighting approach showed that distance from rivers accounted for the highest weight coefficient. To select suitable places for ecopark, the study area was classified into four groups of high to low land suitability, including 130815 hectares of high and 167213 hectares of moderate suitability. Lands with high suitablity were mainly located in forests, fair rangelands and orchards. In addition, suitable areas were mostly located near one of the large and permanent rivers of the province. Based on the results, southern parts of Meshkinshahr and the north of Sabalan Mountain were selected as the most suitable areas for ecopark, due to the existence of various natural and human attractions and having a pristine environment.

Locating suitable areas for the construction of flood spreading structures and infiltration into underground aquifers for the purpose of storing runoff and increasing groundwater reserves to supply the water needed for various purposes and to control flood damage, Highlights the importance and necessity of these studies in protecting natural and human resources. In this study, it has been attempted to provide suitable locations for flood spreading in Khorramabad watershed. For this purpose, parameters: land use, elevation, drainage density, geology, distance from residential areas, river distance, distance from road, slope, soil classes, soil texture, electrical conductivity and unsaturated thickness were measured in ArcGIS10.5. . At first the parameters were fuzzy-fuzzy between zero and one, and then, using hierarchical analysis, pairwise comparison of the variables was quantitatively classified, and then using Expert Choice software based on AHP method, Weight of each criterion was obtained. The most effective criteria in this study were the parameters of distance from residential areas, land use and unsaturated thickness. Finally, using ArcGIS10.5 techniques and linear-weight combination, the location for flood propagation was determined. The results showed that according to the final map of flood spreading, 13.99% of Khorramabad watershed has appropriate utility and 26.04% of moderate utility for constructing flood spreading structures. These areas can be considered in planning the actions needed for flooding in the area.

Forestry plans have been influential on tree species and planting in different ways, regulating tree species diversity. Investigation of the changes in tree species diversity and preservation livestock sustainability by using forestry inventory can be an appropriate tool for decision makers in management. Indicators such as the Shannon Wiener and Simpson indices can be used to study the variations in tree species diversity in the forest. In this research, the  Watson series forestry inventory was used in 2004 and 2014. In the aforementioned years, 369 circular sampling plots were taken with an intensity of 3.3% and using a 200 * 150 m inventory grid with GPS. The Simpson and Shannon Wiener indices were calculated in sampling plots pieces; then, Kriging ability was investigated  using histogram, QQ plot, semivariogram and RMSE, and data normalization. The land maps of these indices were analyzed in 2004, 2014; also, their change detections were prepared. The results showed that during the 10-year period of the implementation of the forestry plan, the Simpson and Shannon Wiener species diversity indices were increased by 30%, and about 60% of the area remained unchanged; also, about 11% of the area had reduced species diversity.